Get Your (Digital) Life with Two-Factor Authentication

LinkedIn introduced two-factor authentication to its accounts last week. The professional social networking site’s added security measure, which will prevent hackers from accessing your account, is a much-needed reminder on how important it is to protect your online identity.

Matt Cutts, Google’s spam expert, explains:

“Two-factor authentication is a simple feature that asks for more than just your password. It requires both ‘something you know’ (like a password) and ‘something you have’ (like your phone). After you enter your password, you’ll get a second code sent to your phone, and only after you enter it will you get into your account. Think of it as entering a PIN number, then getting a retina scan, like you see in every spy movie ever made. It’s a lot more secure than a password that anyone can hack, and keeps unwanted snoopers out of your online accounts.â€